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Macaron Tutorial

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

It's been a week clearly balanced with working and nesting. I am heading out of town next week again to shoot Le Cordon Bleu cookbook and have been spending a good portion of my free time baking, cooking, preserving, etc.. I clearly manifested an intense homemaking phase which I believe to be only normal since I am incessantly on the go this summer.

I feel I won't be touching ground for a while and spending time in the kitchen, mixing, kneading, chopping, gives me time to think, make plans, draw list, organize thoughts and priorities. Some good music in the background and the undivided attention of the pups and I spent a couple of days stocking the fridge and freezer with some good meals and treats for Bill to enjoy while I'm away.

I like to believe a sweet treat once in a while makes the distance a little more bearable (and thank you Skype inventor!). He also gets invited left and right everytime I go away, no matter how stocked up the fridge is. His parents, the neighbors, our close friends...They all seem to take pity on him! At least, I know he never arrives empty handed to a dinner...

These little tea cakes may be the most simple things to bake but there is value in the essentials, the basics. I know that I can freeze plenty for us to have one morning over brunch, to keep in the fridge for a little four o'clock pick me up with a cup of tea. I can pack a couple in his bag before he heads to work in the morning. They are full of good nutrients, blueberries, coconut sugar, whole grains and the addition of Key limes provides just the right amount of pop from the limes.

Nothing like a good basic tea cake fresh out of the oven to make you feel like the chaos around you can indeed slow down...even if only for a few minutes.

Directions;Preheat the oven to 350F and line the inside of 24 muffin cups with cupcake or muffin liners. Grease with some melted butter or cooking spray. Set aside.In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Reserve.In another large bowl or container, combine the milk, vanilla extracts, zest and juice from the Key limes (the milk will curdle but do not worry - it's normal).In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and coconut sugar until smooth and creamy (medium high for about 3 minutes). Beat in the eggs, on slow speed, one at a time until everything looks well combined. The mixture won't be smooth but make sure all the eggs look mixed in.On low speed, beat in the flour mixture alternately with milk mixture in 3 additions, just until the batter comes together. Fold in blueberries with a spatula and give the batter another 10-12 strokes to finish mixing it all together. Divide the batter equally among the muffin tins.Bake for about 25 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out free of raw batter.

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comments:

My husband's been working in another city for a few months. It stinks. But I agree with the sweet treats making things nicer... at least for a moment. These look great! Love that they use coconut sugar. I'll have to check out that gluten-free mix recipe you've linked to.

Seanna Lea: Jeanne's gf mix is not available in stores. If you click on the hot link, it will take you to the page where she gives the measurements for it.Jeanne is the author of The Art of Gluten Free Baking blog as well as Gluten Free Baking For The Holidays book which will be coming out this fall.

Congratulations on the photography Gig, that is amazing! And thank you for this amazing recipe. I have baked just about anything I can think of, but not tea cakes. I cannot wait to make these with the abundance of blueberries in our area.

stunning and I love those trays (are they silkscreens - lol?!) I love a good recipe full of berries to warm up on a cool morning or as dessert with a scoop of ice cream. You're right there's something very calming about mixing and prepping and then stcking it all neatly in the fridge - it's so rewarding, plus you know your man will have a happy belly when you're away. gorgeous.